Rack systems for mounting ladders and other equipment to the bed of pickup trucks and similar vehicles are well known in the prior art. Most systems of this type generally comprise a framework of four or more upright side rails, two of which are mounted atop or alongside one of the side walls of the truck with the other two located on the opposite sidewall. Cross bars are connected between aligning side rails on opposite side walls so that they span the bed of the truck in position to support equipment or materials in an elevated position above the truck bed.
Many owners of pickup trucks are reluctant to permanently mount a rack system or any other device to the vehicle, or to attach such items in a way that would leave mounting holes or the like in the side walls or bed of the truck in the event the rack system or other device is ever removed. This issue has been addressed in the prior art by rack systems which provide one or more base supports adapted to clamp onto the side walls of the truck. Typically, these base support(s) rest atop one of the side walls of the truck in position to support one or both of the upright side rails of the rack system noted above. The joint connection between the base support(s) and upright side rails is typically cumbersome, or, at best, of limited aesthetic appeal. Further, the clamping devices employed to secure the base support(s) to the side walls of the truck are in many cases overly complicated and expensive.
Tie-down devices are also commonly used in rack systems for vehicles in order to secure ladders of other items atop the cross bars described above. Most prior art tie-downs suffer from one or more limitations, e.g. it is difficult to adjust their position along the cross bars, or they are not easily mounted to and removed from the cross bars and/or they lack versatility in how rope, cords or other securing means may be mounted to the tie-down and to the items to be secured on the rack system.